Singapore became the centre of worldwide attention in 1994 as a result of the court-ordered caning of American teenager Michael Fay. In October 1993 Fay and five other resident expatriate teenagers had been charged with vandalism. Fay initially faced 53 counts, mainly spray painting and otherwise damaging 18 vehicles over a 10-day period. Fay pleaded guilty to two counts of vandalism, two counts of mischief, and one count of possessing stolen property. In March 1994 he was sentenced to four months in jail and six strokes of a rattan cane and fined U.S. $2,200. The sentence provoked heated discussion in the United States, and Pres. Bill Clinton called the punishment "extreme" and asked Singapore to waive the caning. Singapore authorities responded that tough laws kept the nation relatively crime-free and that foreigners and Singaporeans should be treated equally under the law.

On May 5, following a recommendation of the Cabinet, Fay was subjected to only four strokes of the cane. A Hong Kong youth arrested with Fay received 6 rather than 12 strokes and had his prison time reduced from eight to six months.

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong maintained Singapore’s assertive approach to social issues in his National Day Rally speech in August, announcing that unwed mothers would no longer qualify for government-subsidized housing and that women civil servants would not gain medical benefits for their families. The latter decision, Goh said, upheld the principle that the husband was the "primary provider" according to his "pro-family" policies.

In September, over protests from The Hague, Dutch engineer Johannes van Damme was hanged for trafficking in heroin. He was the first Westerner executed under a law mandating death for persons dealing in illegal drugs. In March in another high-profile court case, a civil servant, two economists, and two journalists were convicted and fined for violating the Official Secrets Act. The crime involved the publication of quarterly economic growth estimates in the Business Times newspaper in 1992 before their official release. Singapore’s gross domestic product continued to grow at an annual rate of about 9%. The Singapore dollar strengthened by more than 6% against the U.S. dollar. In April the government introduced a 3% tax on goods and services. Berton Woodward

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